Passage planning & navigation
- Passage planning for near-coastal and restricted waters
- Charts, publications, ECDIS/RCDS and corrections
- Position fixing, sextant work and electronic systems
- Tides, tidal streams and weather information
Orals D · Deck
Master 500 · Chief Mate <3000Masters Orals 500 / Chief Mate under 3000 (Orals D)
Structured Orals D preparation covering the full navigation, procedures and emergency scope examined at this level.
MCA Master 500 and Chief Mate under 3000gt (Orals D) preparation. Four weeks, monthly intakes, £1,675, live online by Zoom or classroom.
Rank / pathway
Master 500 / Chief Mate <3000gt — Deck pathway
Duration
4 weeks core preparation
Delivery
Zoom / live online or classroom in Glasgow
Intake
Monthly intakes
Fee
£1,675
Course dates
Choose the batch you want to book.
Batches start on the first Monday falling within the month. Two exceptions: the December 2026 batch starts Wednesday 25 November 2026 and the December 2027 batch starts Wednesday 24 November 2027.
Answer first
What this preparation is for
Orals D covers a wide spread of subject matter, and candidates often arrive strong on the navigation and weak on the procedural and legal side — or the other way round.
This course works through the whole published scope in a structured order, so nothing is left to the week before the exam, and then rehearses it in oral format so the knowledge comes out under questioning rather than staying on the page.
It prepares you for the MCA oral examination. The MCA conducts the examination and makes the certificate decision.
Syllabus-led preparation
What we teach for this MCA oral
Preparation is structured around the published MCA oral syllabus for the certificate you are sitting. The examiner can draw from any part of that syllabus.
Watchkeeping & COLREGs
- Keeping and handing over a safe navigational watch
- COLREGs applied to practical scenarios
- Routeing, reporting systems and VTS
- Bridge Procedures Guide and bridge team working
Compasses, radar & bridge equipment
- Magnetic and gyro compass errors and checks
- Radar and ARPA setting up, errors and limitations
- Collision avoidance from radar information
- Steering gear, echo sounder and equipment checks
Ship handling & emergencies
- Manoeuvring, berthing, anchoring and mooring
- Emergency steering and steering-gear failure
- Collision, grounding and heavy-weather damage
- Towing, SAR procedures and GMDSS communications
Fire, LSA, pollution & stability
- Fire prevention, firefighting and fire plans
- LSA, survival craft, drills and musters
- MARPOL, SOPEP and pollution prevention
- Stability, watertight integrity and securing for sea
Legal duties & documentation
- Merchant Shipping legislation and M Notices
- Certificates, surveys and statutory documentation
- COSWP, risk assessment and safe working practice
- Safe manning, hours of rest and crew agreements
Management-level voyage planning
- Passage planning for restricted waters, weather and ice
- TSS, VTS, routeing and mandatory reporting
- ENCs/RNCs, publications and plan amendment
- Risk assessment and monitoring of safe navigation
Position fixing, compasses & meteorology
- Celestial, terrestrial and electronic position fixing
- Magnetic and gyro compass principles and errors
- Tides, currents, weather systems and TRS
- Synoptic charts and shipborne meteorological information
Watchkeeping, BRM, radar & ECDIS
- COLREGs, Bridge Procedures Guide and pilotage oversight
- Bridge resource management, leadership and communications
- Radar/ARPA performance, limitations and target analysis
- ECDIS management, safety settings, backup and malfunctions
Cargo operations & dangerous goods
- Loading, stowage, securing, care and discharge of cargo
- Cargo plans and their stability and stress implications
- Ship-shore interface and cargo handling equipment
- IMDG/IMSBC and hazardous cargo precautions
Stability, construction & damage control
- Trim, stability, stress and loading information
- Structural strength, corrosion and dry-docking awareness
- Watertight integrity, flooding and damage stability
- Countermeasures after cargo shift or hull damage
Safety management, law & leadership
- Collision, grounding, emergency steering and towing
- Pollution prevention, safety and security compliance
- Certificates, documents, COSWP and risk assessment
- Safe manning, crew management and readiness to assume command
View published MCA syllabus Your MCA NOE determines the exact oral syllabus and limitations; choose the ticket you are sitting.
How the preparation works
Taught, questioned, then rehearsed
A sequence built for oral examinations rather than written ones.
01
Live instructor teaching
Each subject area is taught first by experienced maritime instructors, live online or in the classroom, so the foundation is solid before you are questioned on it.
02
Question and scenario practice
Topics are then rehearsed the way an examiner asks them: a scenario, your reasoning out loud, and follow-up questions that test whether the answer holds.
03
Directed study and discussion
Guided study between sessions, plus group discussion and peer questioning, so gaps surface in the classroom and not in the exam room.
04
Feedback-driven focus
Preparation is shaped by published candidate feedback on what is currently being asked, keeping your revision pointed at the right places.
05
Mock oral rehearsal
A live mock session runs the full oral format end to end, with structured feedback on both content and delivery.
06
Final readiness
The closing stage concentrates on the weak areas that remain, so you go in knowing what you know. No one can promise you a pass — the MCA decides that.
Built around real oral preparation
Support that sits behind the teaching
Experienced maritime instructors, feedback-driven preparation and digital learning support available alongside your course.
MCA Orals GPT & live mock
Oral-style question practice supported by MCA Orals GPT, with a live mock session to rehearse the real format.
Learn more
eSailor learning access
Digital maritime learning support available to candidates preparing with World Yacht.
Visit eSailorSecure your place
Pay online and confirm your place
Card payment is handled securely at checkout. After payment we contact you to confirm your start date, delivery format and joining details.
Selected
Masters Orals 500 preparation
£1,675
Batch: — starts
The fee covers the World Yacht preparation course only. The MCA oral examination is booked, conducted and charged for separately by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Prefer to speak to us first? Use Book / Enquire or WhatsApp above.
Preparing for an MCA oral, not replacing it
This is oral examination preparation delivered by World Yacht. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency conducts the oral examination itself, sets eligibility, and makes the Certificate of Competency decision. We do not book, conduct or guarantee the outcome of your examination, and no preparation course can promise a pass. Confirm your eligibility and notice of eligibility requirements directly with the MCA before booking.
Questions candidates ask
Master 500 · Chief Mate <3000 (Orals D) preparation FAQs
Master 500 and Chief Mate under 3000gt candidates.
£1,675 for four weeks of preparation, with monthly intakes.
Both are available — live online by Zoom or in the classroom in Glasgow.
Teaching comes first on each subject, then examiner-style questioning, group discussion and directed study, with a live mock oral rehearsal.
No. This is preparation; the MCA runs the oral examination separately.
Different certificate, different scope and different depth. Master Unlimited candidates should use the Masters Orals page.
Related preparation
Other routes in this pathway
Next step
Book your Master 500 / Chief Mate under 3000 preparation
Tell us your ticket and your exam timeline and we will confirm the next start date, the format that suits you and what to prepare beforehand.
Or email enquiries@theworldyacht.com · Call +44 141 370 0848
